''Chromodoris magnifica'', also known as the magnificent sea slug is a

sea slug Sea slug is a common name for some marine invertebrates with varying levels of resemblance to terrestrial slugs. Most creatures known as sea slugs are gastropods, i.e. they are sea snails (marine gastropod mollusks) that over evolutionary ...

, a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of ...

nudibranch Nudibranchs () are a group of soft-bodied marine gastropod molluscs which shed their shells after their larval stage. They are noted for their often extraordinary colours and striking forms, and they have been given colourful nicknames to mat ...

, a shell-less

marine Marine is an adjective meaning of or pertaining to the sea or ocean. Marine or marines may refer to: Ocean * Maritime (disambiguation) * Marine art * Marine biology * Marine debris * Marine habitats * Marine life * Marine pollution Military * ...

gastropod mollusc in the family

Chromodorididae Chromodorididae, or chromodorids, are a taxonomic family of colourful, sea slugs; dorid nudibranchs, marine gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Doridoidea. “Chromodorid nudibranchs are among the most gorgeously coloured of all animals. ...

. It is the type species of the genus ''Chromodoris''.

Distribution

This nudibranch is found in the central area of the

Indo-Pacific The Indo-Pacific is a vast biogeographic region of Earth. In a narrow sense, sometimes known as the Indo-West Pacific or Indo-Pacific Asia, it comprises the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean, the western and central Pacific Ocean, and the ...

region from

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

and the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; id, Papua, or , historically ) is the world's second-largest island with an area of . Located in Oceania in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is separated from Australia by the wide Torr ...

and Eastern Australia.

Description

''Chromodoris magnifica'' can reach a maximum size of in length. The body is elongate with a foot which is distinct from the upper body by a skirt like mantle hiding partially the foot. The branched gills and the

rhinophore A rhinophore is one of a pair of chemosensory club-shaped, rod-shaped or ear-like structures which are the most prominent part of the external head anatomy in sea slugs, marine gastropod opisthobranch mollusks such as the nudibranchs, sea ...

s are orange colour and can be withdrawn into specific pockets under the skin in case of danger. The specific epithet ''magnifica'' in ''Chromodoris magnifica'' means magnificent, so-named because of this nudibranch's striking, vibrant colors. The background colour of the body is bluish white which varies in intensity from one specimen to another. On the mantle, the bluish area is outlined by two continuous black lines and a median continuous line crosses it also. These bluish parts are often marked with dash-like black lines. The margin of the mantle is bordered with a large white band with a central orange colour line, the width of these lines is variable for each specimen. The foot has three black continuous longitudinal lines. Its background colour is the same as its mantle. The margin of the foot is outlined by an orange and a white line. This species is easily confused with the similar looking ''

Chromodoris quadricolor ''Chromodoris quadricolor'' is a species of very colourful sea slug, a dorid nudibranch, a marine opisthobranch gastropod mollusc. The specific epithet ''quadricolor'' means four-coloured, so-named because this nudibranch is yellow, white, blue ...

''. ''Chromodoris magnifica'' can be distinguished by its submarginal orange border.Rudman, W.B., (8 April 1998
''Chromodoris magnifica'' (Quoy & Gaimard, 1832).
n/nowiki> Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney.

Ecology

''Chromodoris magnifica'' feeds on

sponge Sponges, the members of the phylum Porifera (; meaning 'pore bearer'), are a basal animal clade as a sister of the diploblasts. They are multicellular organisms that have bodies full of pores and channels allowing water to circulate throug ...

s and has been observed feeding on red and grey sponges.Rudman W.B. & Bergquist, P.R., 2007. "A review of feeding specificity in the sponge-feeding Chromodorididae (Nudibranchia: Mollusca). Molluscan Research 27(2): 60–88. Image:Chromodoris magnifica (juvenille).jpg, ''Chromodoris magnifica'' juvenile in

Puerto Galera Puerto Galera, officially the Municipality of Puerto Galera ( tgl, Bayan ng Puerto Galera), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Oriental Mindoro, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 41,961 people. It is ...

. Image:Chromodoris magnifica.jpg, ''Chromodoris magnifica.''

References

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q2262681 Chromodorididae Gastropods described in 1832